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Euwan Usami wrote:

keithbob wrote:
dont really know what to add,thought this was going to be our time to show we are better than fourth welsh region,but here we are again,with the blouse winning and us stumbling to a draw against the worst team in the rabo,and that digraceful performance last week its now back to the bottom again!

Grasping at straws but the Blues lost home and away to Zebre this season. They turned up today with a good win v Ulster though. Credit where it's due.

I wouldn't pretend a draw at Zebre is a positive result though. Even if it we did score 3 tries to 1. It just isn't good enough for a team with any kind of ambition in the pro12. It's also fair to say the Dragons are made up of a core of premiership players and are probably overachieving to maintain mid table status. (For now at least).

It's also true that the wheels came off against connaught and the result was a huge disappointment for all those who wish the Dragons and Jones boys well.
For those who hope for more I wouldn't despair just yet though. Ignore the odd Internet troll who will constantly attempt to sow discord ad nausea. They have their own agendas and are hardly fair or open minded. It will take time for LJ and Co to get where he wants to be. It's clear the squad needs strengthening and this WILL happen. Next season will see a far stronger front 5 and a few quality backs added. There is still room for optimism, though we may need a little more patience than first hoped. ;)

Well summed up! We have had a few seasons of inertia under Darren Edwards. Rugby Union moves forward rapidly and under Edwards the Dragons went backwards. Repairing the damage and lost ground ain't easy."

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NEWPORT Gwent Dragons escaped with a share of the spoils against RaboDirect Pro12 bottom club Zebre thanks to a magnificent solo try by supersub Jevon Groves.

The flanker spotted a gap at a ruck with three minutes left and dashed over from 25 metres thanks to a combination of gas and a neat dummy.

That left Jason Tovey with a tricky conversion from the right and the fly-half nailed it to deny their hosts at the Stadio XXV Aprile.

The Dragons had headed into the game looking to strike back after heavy defeats to Ulster and Connacht.

And while they didn’t get a win to keep alive their hopes of a top-half finish, Lyn Jones’ men at least showed character to salvage a draw against their spirited hosts.

The Dragons enjoyed a slender 15-13 lead at the break courtesy of tries by full-back Dan Evans and centre Ashley Smith but Italy fly-half Luciano Orquera punished them with the boot in the second half.

He looked set to be the match-winner thanks to his 17-point haul only for the Dragons to strike at the death to avoid coming a cropper in Parma like Cardiff Blues.

The hosts were first to strike when they took advantage of a yellow card for number eight Taulupe Faletau for stopping a driving lineout by coming in at the side after 16 minutes.

Zebre piled the pressure on and back row forward Samuela Vunisa powered over from scrum-half Brendon Leonard’s flat pass.

Luciano Orquera converted but back came the 14-man Dragons and full-back Dan Evans crossed down the right from fly-half Jason Tovey’s pass after outside centre Pat Leach had burst into the 22.

A long-range penalty by Italy centre Gonzalo Garcia extended the Zebre’s lead to 10-5 only for the visitors to strike back down the same flank in the 35th minute.

The Dragons piled the pressure on down in the 22 and captain Andrew Coombs’ smart offload after being dragged down just short enabled wing Tom Prydie to put centre Ashley Smith over.

Tovey converted and then traded penalties with Orquera for a two-point lead at the break.

It continued to be nip and tuck in the second half with the lead changing hands thanks to the boots of the fly-halves.

Orquera made it 16-15 after 47 minutes only for Tovey to respond on 54 but a quickfire pair of Zebre penalties meant that the Dragons were chasing the game in the final quarter.

And when the 32-year-old number 10 bisected the posts to make it 25-18 with seven minutes left, the Dragons knew that a fourth successive win against the Italians was unlikely.

Instead they were chasing a share of the spoils and it was Groves that got them that just minutes after replacing flanker Lewis Evans.

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